Schmidt Happens
by SouthernGirl11
Summary: After hitting a roadblock in a case, Cragen calls in a well-known, gorgeous, no-nonsense lawyer from Boston to help them out. Hints of E/O, some friendship.. I don't really know where I'm going with this so let me know if you want to see more! And R&R!


**AN** - Hey, guys! Haven't updated a fanfic in SO LONG, but there is good reason for that I guess, since I haven't updated my videos on youtube either. For those of you who don't know, I'm bensonlover99 on youtube, but a few months ago my channel was removed due to copyright infringement and I had to start over. My new one is **bensonlover999 **and I've posted a few new ones as well as reuploads of the videos I still had.

Anyway, I have moved in with my sister about five hours away, and we did a lot of watching TV. She got me absolutely addicted to **Boston Legal**! It's a drama/comedy about a bunch of defense attorneys in the firm of Crane, Poole and Schmidt, who double as friends, which equals lots of drama and humor. A lot of well known people star in it, such as William Shatner and **Candice Bergen**, whoplays **Shirley Schmidt**. She is definitely my favourite character, hence - CROSSOVER! Hope you guys like this, I worked pretty hard on it. Feedback is appreciated 'cause I don't know if I should just leave it here or continue. Tried to add a couple links before but they didn't work, so I encourage you to just google "Boston Legal, Shirley Schmidt" to get the idea of her character before you read on.

Thanks everyone! R&R!

Enjoy!

Cragen sat at his dimly lit desk, his pen pressed firmly to the paper, and his head resting in his opposite hand. 11:20PM and there was still no progress on the case the detectives had to continue working on the next morning.

Olivia suddenly appeared at his open doorway through the darkness of the squadroom. She knocked as she entered.

"Working hard of hardly working?" she grinned with friendly eyes.

He smiled faintly and leaned back in his chair, throwing the pen down in front of him.

"We're on a tight schedule with the district attorney and now we don't have anyone to take on the Kramer case in a couple days. Not to mention we still have to interview them before 4:00 tomorrow. "

Olivia bit her lip in slight frustration. "Where are you gonna do?"

"Well, I had a friend in an office of one of the biggest law firms in Boston. Maybe I'll give her a call and see if she can help us."

Olivia nodded. "Sounds good. Well, I'm going to try to get some shut eye up in the crib. Let me know how it goes."

Cragen scratched his head without looking up. "Yup, see you in the morning."

"Good luck." Olivia turned and quickly disappeared, leaving Cragen alone in the deafening silence. He picked up the phone and began to dial.

The next morning, the bullpen of the 16th precinct was rustling as usual. Cragen emerged from his office as Olivia and Elliot sipped coffee at their own desks.

"Detectives." Olivia's head snapped to attention while Elliot slowly spun around in his chair to face the Captain.

"John and Fin are out on another case, but I'd like to go interview the mother of Lindsay Kramer early if possible."

Elliot interrupted, "Cap, I've got court in a couple hours."

Olivia stood up. "It's okay, I'll go alone. No big deal."

Cragen stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Before you do, Olivia.. I called the law firm I was telling you about last night. She decided to help us out, and any minute-"

"Captain Cragen?" a raspy female voice cut through the bustling of everyone else in the building. The three immediately turned to face her.

Cragen looked elated. "There she is! This is the attorney I was telling you about, Olivia. Detectives Benson and Stabler, this is Shirley from the law of firm of-"

"Crane, Poole and Schmidt." Elliot interjected. He reached out his right hand in admiration for this beautiful, well-known woman, who he estimated was in her early sixties.

She smiled as she took his hand. "I'm Schmidt." She stated bluntly as she raised on eyebrow and gave a crooked smile. They stared into each other's gaze for a good ten seconds, neither attempting to break the limited physical contact. Olivia's friendly eyes quickly turned into slight jealousy when she observed the obvious sexual attraction between the two professionals.

Elliot finally spoke. "You can call me Elliot."

As they continued to stare and grin at one another, the air was turning awkward. Olivia decided to sever the stiff tension.

"... And I'm Olivia." She reached out her hand, and Shirley happily obliged to shake it as well.

Shirley turned to Cragen. "Gosh Don, how long has it been?"

Cragen smiled. "Too long. I appreciate you jumping in your car and rushing over here."

Shirley shrugged. "Well, my case load is at a minimum right now for the first time in about thirty years, and it sounded like it was an emergency over here at SVU. What do you need?"

Cragen admired her genorousity. "Well, Shirley, I gave one of your colleagues the overall information last night, but follow me into my office and I'll give you the details."

Shirley nodded and turned on her heel, following Cragen in the direction of his office. She turned slightly to face the detectives as she walked away. "Nice meeting you two." She winked in their direction before strolling across the room. Olivia watched Elliot as his gaze didn't leave Shirley until the door of Cragen's office was shut tight.

"Scotch?" Cragen requested.

Shirley chuckled. "As always." She sat herself in the comfortable chair across from Cragen's desk.

She watched him pour a small glass and she took it, leaning back in her chair, unsure of what to say next.

"How's the family?" Cragen asked.

"Good, good.. all working with families of their own. I see them as often as I can, but it's hard."

Cragen nodded. "Your granddaughter Marlena still an intelligent, smart-mouthed teenager?"

"No longer a teenager, but I suppose you could still say the same. How'd you hear about that? You haven't seen her since she was a little girl."

"I read the paper."

Shirley giggled as she took a sip of her drink.

"Listen, I need you here because we needed a powerful attorney - particularly a female one."

Shirley looked rather confused. "I'm a defense attorney, Don. What do you want with me?"

Cragen pulled a file over from the left side of his desk; she leaned forward to take it from him. Shirley took her stylish red glasses from out of her briefcase and put them on as Cragen continued to brief her on the case.

"Lindsay Kramer, from Coney Island, twenty one years old. She was raped by a stranger while she was out walking her dog around 9PM. She told us she could identify her attacker in a lineup, but once we got a suspect and called her in, she couldn't follow through."

Shirley crossed her legs and looked up from the file. "No DNA?"

"No nothing, this guy was smart."

"I don't know how you guys do this." she sighed deeply. "I'm guessing there's more?"

Cragen continued. "The following week, two more girls around the same age were both assaulted as well. He left a hair on one, fluids on another. He got more careless, but it was the same guy. We couldn't nail him for this case case though."

Shirley folded the file and tossed it back on Cragen's desk. "So, just nail him for the other two. Case closed." Shirley stated without emotion.

Cragen's eyes narrowed. "Shirley, I understand you've been away from a lot of these kinds of cases for many years, but surely you haven't lost your compassion for the women who are constantly affected by them."

Shirley bit her lip. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Cragen shot her a glance of empathy.

"Forgive me, Don, but I still don't see where I come in."

"Miss Kramer saw two of my other detectives escorting the suspect, Charles Linze, back to the elevators. She put it together. The next morning I got a call. Charles was attacked in his home."

Shirley's eyes widened.

"She killed him, Shirley."

Cragen watched as Shirley eyes darted around, full of expression she couldn't find the guts to verbalize. He sensed there had to be further convincing on his part. "This man is a serial rapist who was killed by one of his victims who had realized she had let her attacker walk. Personally, I don't even think she should go on trial for this, but we both know it's still wrong. Maybe not morally in some people's eyes, but legally it is."

Shirley nodded and blinked back a tear or two. "I'll take it."

Cragen's jaw dropped slightly. "You will?"

Shirley looked at him in disbelief of him asking her again. "... Yes."

The relief on Cragen's face was obvious. "Wow, Shirley. You're amazing."

She laughed as she placed her glasses back into her briefcase. "So I've been told."

Cragen cleared his throat. "I'd ask you out to dinner, but I have a feeling Carl may disapprove."

Shirley's eyes were beaming with pride. "Probably. How about just another drink later on?"

"You got it." Cragen replied as he stuck a long piece of licorice in his mouth.

"Do you have the files of Linze's other alleged victims?" Shirley asked.

"Yeah, hold on." He spun around in his chair and started to rifle through his crowded filing cabinet. Shirley shifted in her seat so she could see through the window behind her into the squadroom. She observed Elliot's head above Olivia's shoulder, probably checking a case file on her computer. He would pace, offer some suggestions; sometimes he would make her laugh. Shirley could plainly see there was more between them than partnership, friendship... she had seen it in her own place of work. She admired it.

"Here you go." Cragen's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, thank you." She set down her glass and tucked the file under her arm as she stood up and made her way toward the door.

"I have to send Detective Benson to question Lindsay Kramer. You want to tag along?"

"Sure. I suppose it couldn't hurt."

Olivia pretended she didn't notice the two of them emerging from Cragen's office. Shirley was absolutely beautiful; perhaps the most beautiful woman Olivia had ever come across, most of it in the confident way she carried herself. And of course, it didn't help that Elliot noticed her too.

Her hair was slightly longer than shoulder length and flipped outwards; a perfect shade of blonde with highlights of grey, which suggested her age, but only made her seem more experienced and confident. She was about the same height as Olivia, with piercing blue-grey eyes and a perfectly chiseled face. She made her way over with her alluring strut in her impeccably professional wardrobe.

The Captain spoke first. "Olivia..?"

"Elliot just left for court. I'm headed to Mrs. Kramer's now, Cap." Olivia grabbed her coat off the back of her chair and swung it around her shoulders.

"Would you mind taking Shirley with you?"

"Oh, no.. not at all. You ready?"

Shirley nodded plainly. "Yes."

Olivia grabbed her keys just as Shirley spoke up. 

"Actually.. would you mind if we took my car? I miss driving around in the city."

The question caught Olivia off guard. "Oh.. no, that's fine." She tossed her own keys in the bottom drawer of her desk and closed it they walked in sync out the enormous doors of the precinct.

Olivia and Shirley plunked themselves into Shirley's vehicle simultaneously. Shirley turned the key without either woman speaking a word. A sudden, loud blare in the form of a Taylor Swift song came blasting out of the speakers of her black Escalade. Both woman jumped back as Shirley leaped for the volume knob, turning the sound down.

They erupted in chuckles. Neither one knew what to say. Once Olivia had let go of all her laughter, she responded.

"I've got to say, when I met you I didn't peg you as a Taylor Swift type of woman."

Shirley laughed through her teeth. "Normally I'm not. My granddaughter was the last one in here with me, and she's a big fan. But hey, she's a talented, gorgeous girl."

"I agree, and sometimes her songs aimed at young women sadly make sense."

"I can see that. I can't believe a gorgeous woman like yourself is single though."

Olivia shrugged. "You're married?"

Shirley chuckled and avoided Olivia's eyes as much as she could. "Seven times."

Olivia's eyes widened and her eyebrows rose. "An independent, indecisive woman." She nodded as she looked out the window. "I like it."

Shirley smiled and pulled her seatbelt across her chest as she felt Olivia's eyes return to her. "Well, those were during my law school/model days.. and for some reason I've lived by those mantra-like lyrics - "I'm a realist, I'm a romantic, I am indecisive, and that's about it."

She could relate. "So, you're single now?"

Shirley held up her left hand for Olivia to see. "No, married Carl Sack almost two years ago. We had briefly dated before he came to work for me at my firm, and then it just kind of happened." Olivia noticed her natural, sensual pout for the first time.

"That's really nice, finding love somewhere as generic as the workplace."

_The workplace_. Shirley's expressive eyes twinkled in Olivia's direction as she smirked, started the car and shifted it into gear. She seemed to almost be able to read Olivia's mind and know who she was unconciously implying the conversation about just with that one glance. Olivia tried to chock it up to the fact that she was a defense attorney, and that was her job. To read people.

However, during their comfortable silent drive, Olivia would periodically stare over in Shirley's direction. She admired this woman, which to her seemed pathetic after only knowing her for roughly twenty minutes. Shirley seemed so in control of herself. Beautiful, and confident and secure in every aspect of her life.

What Olivia wasn't aware of, was that Shirley's life was hardly that simple. All those marriages came with an equally painful divorce. A few months into law school, she became pregnant after a one night stand and had forced herself to have an abortion. It haunted her every day. She got to still be employed by the firm that she had created and helped build from the ground up, but a company in China had bought it out, leaving Shirley and her colleagues and friends feeling more than defeated. On top of that, she was at an age where she was being faced with her own mortality, yet men half her age in the office lusted after her. Her life was great at times, but it had it's confusing downfalls as well.

Vulnerable, feisty and beautiful. Those were the three words anyone who knew Shirley Schmidt would use to describe her.

Shirley cleared her throat. "So, that partner of yours..."

"Elliot?" _Great, another woman wanting the inside scoop_, Olivia thought.

"Yeah." Shirley tucked a piece of silver-blonde hair behind her left ear. "He's quite something."

Olivia hesitated. "Yeah, he.. sure is." she stated nonchalantly.

A confused look swept over Shirley's face. "It's really none of my business since I don't know either of you, but.. you and he-"

"No. He's married." Olivia interrupted.

Shirley stopped the car outside the victim's mother's home, swiftly pulled off her seatbelt and stopped. She noticed Olivia staring out the window, obviously bothered and uncomfortable from the current conversation. She shifted in her direction, the tension pulling at both of their hearts.

Olivia looked at Shirley as she reached for the door handle. "We should go inside." She hopped out of the SUV and made her way toward the gate, leaving Shirley's curiousity hanging, with nothing to do but to follow her inside.


End file.
